Usually males have a far more pronounced kype by the time they turn that red. Also females run quite a bit grayer, like this example. I suggest it is most likely a female. I would be leery of betting it is male.

Here is an example of an "almost" coho male. Note the far larger kype at the same relative stage of coloring up. art

Usually males have a far more pronounced kype by the time they turn that red. Also females run quite a bit grayer, like this example. I suggest it is most likely a female. I would be leery of betting it is male.

Here is an example of an "almost" coho male. Note the far larger kype at the same relative stage of coloring up. art

Not always, and actually down here rarely. Now chums will have the overpronounced. Caught about 10 silvers that looked just liked that in October that milted me when I was releasing them (like the one in my avatar). Have seen more then my share of them. That is by far a buck. The hens rarely get a kype, at least all the dark ones I've unfortunately caught.

Not always, and actually down here rarely. Now chums will have the overpronounced. Caught about 10 silvers that looked just liked that in October that milted me when I was releasing them (like the one in my avatar). Have seen more then my share of them. That is by far a buck. The hens rarely get a kype, at least all the dark ones I've unfortunately caught.

Click to expand...

I literally caught hundreds this year, like most... Tended toward earlier, brighter fish, but there were plenty of dark fish. I would be far more inclined to call it a hen. I caught a few silvers in WA while going to college at CWU (actually CWSC, too) and they looked just like the silvers I grew up catching, so I doubt there is much geographic variation, aside from timing.
art

Not always, and actually down here rarely. Now chums will have the overpronounced. Caught about 10 silvers that looked just liked that in October that milted me when I was releasing them (like the one in my avatar). Have seen more then my share of them. That is by far a buck. The hens rarely get a kype, at least all the dark ones I've unfortunately caught.

Click to expand...

Jerry
Please take a look at the similar age coho I posted the link to... The kype is huge. That is what I would expect from males of the same apparent aging time frame. The modest kype on the fish above is in the very ordinary range for female coho, IME. I will grant it could be either, but I am pretty convinced it is a hen.
art

Hap, I was talking about ONE DAY on the Satsop this year. Not all I've caught over a season (between winter and fall fish of 09, I caught my share of silvers) I have quite a few years of almost exclusively fishing for salmon and steelhead. Gear and fly. So I've caught more then my share of silvers as well. And since I only river fish, they vary from chrome to dark. Even for a spawner, that body is pretty streamlined for a hen. Some, if not most, still have eggs at this point. That's a small torso for a hen. And I've rarely found a spawner hen with that much of a hook nose.